Door latch



June 1 1926.

1,587,472 H. CARRIER DOOR LATCH Filed July 24 192 Invenior:

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Patented June 1, 1926.

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HERMENEGILDE CARRIER, 0F AMESBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 G. W. J.

MURPHY COMPANY, OF AMESBUBY, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA-OHUSETTS.

DOOR LATCH.

Application filed July 24, 1924. Serial No. 727,899.

This invention relates to door latches and in particular to a type oflatch finding a special application to the doors of automotive vehiclesof the closed type, having provision whereby it may conveniently belocked from the inside against operation from the exterior and whereinit will not be necessary separately to manipulate the locking mechanismwhen opening the door from the inside. In the accompanying drawings Ihave shown by way of example an illustrative embodiment of my inventionincorporated in a door latch embodying various features-of constructiondisclosed and claimed in my copending' applications Serial Nos. 681,770and 704,143. In these drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation of the latch asseen from the inner side;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of F i 1' I Fig. 3 is a section onthe line 33 of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale; and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the latchingmechanism herein shown is organized on a casing of generally angularform including a plate 17 adapted to be placed flush with the inner faceof the door, being mortised into the lock rail and a flange 19 adaptedto be set flush with the edge of the door. From the flange 19 projectsoutwardly a hollow housing 21 which accommodates, as best shown in Fig.2, a latch bolt 23 which may be pivoted on a substantially horizontalaxis formed by a pin 25 journalled in the outer wall of the housing andin an inner wall formed by the plate 27 fixed in the inner surface ofthe flange 19. The end of the bolt is projected by the spring 29 througha suitable opening in the bottom of the housing to engage a keeper onthe door amb and the upper portion of the housing 21 may serve as a stopfor the bolt.

To swing the bolt against the force of the spring 29 to retract itwithin the housing and permit the door to be opened, there may beprovided on the pivot 25 an arm 31 located inwardly of the plate 27,lying flat against the same and extending toward the angle definedbetween the plate 17 and the flange 19. The arm 31 may be operated to 1swing the bolt by means of a movable bar or lever 35 lying against theinner face of the plate 17 and having an end engaging the end of the arm31 adjacent the junction of this plate with the flange 19. Herein thelever is pivoted on the plate 17 andon the auxiliary plate 37 securedthereto which forms a partial housing for this lever and other mechanismto be described. If the lever 35 is swungclockwise, viewing Fig. 1,

.the end of arm 31, viewing'Fig. 2, will be depressed and the latch bolt23 will be retracted within the housing 21 against the force of spring29.

The lever 35 may be operated from the exterior of the door by means of arotatable handle of conventional type having a square spindle 41engaging a cam 43 journalled in the plates 17 and 37 and coplanar withthe lever 35. It will be apparent from Fig. 1

that if the cam is rocked counterclockwise from the position shown inthat figure, the right hand end of the lever 35 will be depressed tounlatch the bolt. Preferably the arrangement is such that the bolt willbe lifted in whichever direction the spindle 41 is turned and for thispurpose I may provide an arm 45 presented at the opposite side of thecam 43 and connected to the opposite end of the lever 35, the arm 45being herein formed as an extension of a fork 47 pivoted to the lefthand end of the lever (forming a portion of another operating mechanismhereinafter to be described) and constrained to move in a substantiallyvertical direction by the threaded rod 49 screwed into the fork 47 andguided in the lug 51 carried by plate 17. It will be apparent that ifthe cam 43 is rotated in a clockwise direction from the position shownin Fig. 1, it will lift the arm 45 and depress the right hand end oflever 35 to raise the bolt 23.

To operate the latch from the inner surface of the door there is hereinshown a pull rod moving substantially vertically adjacent the plate 17and comprisingthe fork 47 into which taps the screw 49 already referredto, the whole being guided in the lug 51 and normally depressed by thehelical spring 53 surrounding screw 49 and interposed between the fork47 and the lug 51. The rod 49 may be raised against the'spring 53 by anysuitable means but I have herein shown a lever 59 secured thereto andmounted (see Fig. 4) on a spindle 61 probracing the outer end of thesleeve 71.

v purpose a suitable member this handle may be utilized jecting throughthe plate 17 to the exterior of the door and having a frusto-conical eX-tension 63 on which may be clamped a lever handle 65 by means of nut 67.

It will be apparent that control of the bolt 23 from the outside by thespindle 41 may be prevented by holding the cam 43 against movement andfor this purpose I have herein provided a suitable dog or detent in theform of a plunger 69 extending through plate 17 from the inside of thedoor and adapted to move in guiding sleeve 71 carried by the plate 17under the control of a cap 73 secured to the outer end of the plunger 69and having a flange or skirt em- In Fig. 3 the dog 69 is shown inprotracted or looking position in which it is retained by the engagementof a spring pressed ball 75 carried thereby with a recess 77 in thesleeve 71. The dog 69 may be withdrawn so that its end is at least flushwith the interior surface of plate 17 and out of the path of cam 43, thecap 73 moving to the dotted line position in Fig. 3 and may be retainedin this position by the engagement of the ball 7 5 with a second recess79 in the sleeve.

The plunger 69 moves in a direction substantially parallel to the axisof the cam 43, as best seen from Fig. 1, and this construction, amongother advantages, facilitates locking the cam 43 against movement ineither direction as is necessary in the construction shown wherein thecam 43 if turned in either direction would lift the bolt. To lock thecam the plunger '69 may be provided with a square end engaging theabrupt shoulders of a notch 81 in the end of the cam Thus with the camin its nor mal neutral position to which it is returned under theactionof the springs 29 and as shown in Fig. 41, the cap 73 at the interior ofthe door may be depressed in the manner of a push button shifting theplunger 69 to the full line position shown in Fig. 3 and the end of theplunger 69 will enter the recess 81in the end of the cam and slicetuallylock it against turning in either direction.

The door is thus locked against opening by manipulation of the handle onthe outside. It could, of course, be released by withdrawing the spindleby manipulation of the cap 73 but the construction herein shown.provides for automatically disengaging the dog (39 from the cam 43 whenthe inner handle 65 is manipulated. For this set in motion by the handle65 and conveniently connected to one of the parts of the lock operated bto displace member 69 from the full line position of Fig. 3. Herein thisdisplacing element takes the form of a strip 83 mounted on the member 45and overlying the inner end of dog 69 and having its end portion 85 bentinwardly toward the plate 17, as best shown in Fig. 3, to present adiagonal camming surface to the end of movable plunger It will beapparent from Figs. 1 and 3 that if the dog 69 is in the projected fullline position shown and the handle 65 is manipulated, to operate thepull rod and therewith to raise the member 45 the member 83 will bedrawn upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3 and the inner diagonalsurface of the ex tension 85 will wipe across the end of the plunger 69and move it to the right, viewing Fig. 3. In this action the ball 75yields and toward the conclusion of the camming movement caused by thesurface 85, it will be presented in part at least to the right handrecess 7 9. As the ball 75 tends to e11- ter this recess under theaction of the spring the curved surface of the ball will itself act inthe manner of a cam completing the movement of the plunger dog 69 to theright as the ball snaps into position with the end of the dog out of thepath of cam 43.

It will thus be seen that operation of the inner handle always releasesthe cam 43 and that thereafter the bolt 23 may be lifted either from theinside or the outside until intentionally locked again from the insideby the depression of the cap 73.

A finish may be provided at the interior of the mechanism by the use ofa sleeve 87 having a barrel which fits sleeve 71, covers recess 7 9 andis embraced by cap 73 and an annular flange 89 adapted to rest on theinner surface of the door. Herein flange 89 is somewhat spaced fromplate 17 to accommodate the usual upholstery.

I have described in considerable detail the particular mechanical*conslt 'ruction shown in the accompanying drawings as an example of theinvention in order that the details thereof might be clearly understood.It is clear, however, that all these details are not essential and thatthe mechanicalconstruction may be widely varied without departing fromthe essential inventive ideas which will be defined in the annexedclaims.

Claims 1. Door latch mechanism including a cam for operating the boltfrom one side of the door, a dog therefor adapted to be protracted in adirect-ion substantially parallel to the axis of the cam into the paththereof, means for operating the bolt from the other side of the doorand a member moving therewith and adapted to ride over the end of thedog in its protracted position to return the same therefrom.

2. Door latch mechanism comprising a bar, the movement of which controlsthe bolt, a cam adapted when turned in either direction to move the barto release the bolt, said cam having opposed shoulders, a dog adapted tobe shifted into engagement with tem-re 4. Door latch mechanismcomprising a casing embodying spaced plates, a cam for operating thebolt turning between the plates, a button having an end extendingthrough one of the plates and depressible to project into the path ofthe cam, a second mechanism for operating the bolt and a part movingtherewith and adapted to engage the projected end and move it outwardly.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HERMENEGILDE CARRIER.

